Fiorentina have reappointed Paolo Vanoli as head coach, just a day after Fabio Grosso was dismissed following a disastrous start to the new Serie A campaign.
Grosso’s departure came after three consecutive defeats left Fiorentina bottom of the league table. The club have scored only once in those matches and conceded nine goals, prompting the decision to make an immediate change in the dugout.
Vanoli’s return comes less than a year after he helped Fiorentina avoid relegation. He took charge in November last season, replacing Stefano Pioli after the team had gone 10 games without a win.
The Italian coach managed to move Fiorentina away from the relegation zone and eventually led them to a 15th-place finish. He also guided the club into the quarter-finals of the Conference League.
Fiorentina were eliminated at that stage by Crystal Palace, who went on to win the competition.
The club confirmed Vanoli’s appointment in a statement on Monday.
"ACF Fiorentina announces that Coach Paolo Vanoli has been appointed as the new technical director of the Viola first team," the club said in a statement.
"A huge thank you goes to the coach for his enthusiastic acceptance of returning to lead the first team."
Vanoli will have little time to prepare for his first match back in charge. Fiorentina travel to promoted Venezia on Friday, with both sides still looking for their first points of the season after losing their opening three Serie A fixtures.
The meeting gives Vanoli an immediate opportunity to halt Fiorentina’s poor run and begin lifting the club from the bottom of the standings. Venezia are also without a point, making the match an encounter between two teams yet to register a win in the new campaign.
For Fiorentina, the appointment represents a rapid return to a coach who already has experience of stabilising the team during a difficult period. Vanoli’s previous spell ended with the club clear of relegation danger and in 15th place, as well as having reached the last eight of the Conference League.
Grosso, a former World Cup winner, lasted only three games of the season before Fiorentina opted to bring back Vanoli. The scale of the early defensive problems was reflected in the nine goals conceded, while the team’s single goal underlined the difficulties at the other end of the pitch.
Vanoli’s first task will be to improve those results when Fiorentina visit Venezia on Friday.